Silicon is used to manufacture a variety of semiconductors. The speed at which these semiconductors work ultimately depends on the rate at which the transistors in the semiconductors can switch on and off, which in turns depends on the speed at which current can flow through the transistors, and the distance the charge has to travel. One way of reducing this distance is to deform the lattice of the silicon used to manufacture the semiconductors, resulting in a sort of “strained silicon.” By stretching the lattice of the silicon, the energies of the orbitals of the silicon in the direction of the tension are lowered, allowing electrons to flow more easily along the aligned orbitals. Similarly, putting the silicon lattice into compression raises the energies of the aligned orbitals, allowing positive charges to flow more easily.